Nov 29 2016 Critical Update - If you are already using a 6.2 release prior to today, see article updates below for details on the important, just-released Updater that's recommended for all existing v6.2.0 users. Those downloading new aren't affected.

I'm so glad to hear NAKIVO Backup & Replication v6.2 is already here, just over 2 months since 6.1 arrived. But I admit, I haven't had a chance to try this GA release quite yet.

The appliance has always been a very easy to install: once downloaded, installation and configuration in your VMware vSphere environment at work or at home is very straight-forward, and takes just a few minutes. You can point it at your ESXi host(s) and/or your vCenter. Configure which VMs you want to protect, and you now have that first VM backup running.

From the list of new features they've added (detailed below), it's clear they're continuing their enterprise focus as they grow up. As I said back in my NAKIVO 6.1 announcement:

I'm just hoping this fast and easy choice for simple home labs stays easy to use, which is currently a large part of its appeal for me personally. Naturally, they're obviously hoping the IT pro who tries this at home will also give it a spin at work, and making NFR code available to IT professionals for free is a very wise move.

Here's NAKIVO's NFR request form. Download of your Not-For-Resale no-time-bomb code begins immediately! Note the terms seen right in the screenshot below, featuring the prominent mention "home or work lab" and "non-production use only."

If you are not eligible for NFR, or have trouble with getting the NFR form to work, just use the Download Free Trial - NAKIVO link instead. You can still contact NAKIVO to see if they can you an NFR copy later on, which may require a re-download/re-install.

Reading NAKIVO's Deploying Virtual Appliance in vSphere installation manual is recommended, but it's rather clear-cut and straight-forward. Yes, if you've installed an OVA appliance in your vSphere environment before, you might not even need to read their documentation to get started.

NAKIVO Inc., one of the fastest-growing virtualization and cloud backup software companies for VMware and AWS EC2 environments, today announced that it has released NAKIVO Backup & Replication v6.2. The new version provides full support for paid AWS EC2 instances, sold through AWS Marketplace.
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Native AWS EC2 instance replication: NAKIVO Backup & Replication v6.2 can create and maintain identical copies of AWS EC2 instances. The replicated AWS EC2 instances can be powered on at any time for a near-instant disaster recovery.
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NAKIVO Backup & Replication is VMware-certified, purely agentless, can be installed on Linux and Windows, deployed as a pre-configured VMware Virtual Appliance and AWS Amazon Machine Image, and can also be installed directly on Synology NAS to create a high-performance VM backup appliance. NAKIVO Backup & Replication has a simple and intuitive Web interface, supports live applications and databases, provides instant recovery of VMs, files, and application objects directly from compressed and deduplicated backups, speeds up data transfer with network acceleration, and reduces data size with global deduplication and compression.

I know 6.2 doesn't officially support vSphere 6.5, but even without any official support, I'm still curious about whether it works or not. I doubt very much that it would care if a VM is hosted on the new VMFS 6 format, but it's possible the later-than-tested ESXi version number might trip up the install/config process. Hope to get a chance to test this soon.

A fix is included the just-released Updaters for NAKIVO Backup & Replication v6.2.0 Update, see also accompanying Release Notes that includes many improvements, and this fix:

Fixed the issue of backup repository corruption that occurred after an unexpected Transporter machine/service shutdown while a mainatance task is in progress.

As scary as this initially sounds, I greatly appreciate the proactive approach NAKIVO took by getting the word out quickly, and it seems likely it could affect only a small number of folks who happened to perform a shutdown during maintenance.

I have now tested out NAKIVO 6.2, and the patching process for all users of earlier versions. This is best-effort, unofficial guidance, please contact NAKIVO for support.

If you are a NAKIVO appliance user who recently downloaded and installed 6.2, it's likely your appliance download was named:NAKIVO_Backup_Replication_VA_v6.2.0.14744_Full_Solution_NFR.ova

As of November 29 2016

appliance downloads are now named:NAKIVO_Backup_Replication_VA_v6.2.0.14770_Full_Solution_NFR.ova

the patch you should download and install if you're not yet at v6.2.0.14770 is called:NAKIVO_Backup_Replication_v6.2.0.14770_Updater.sh

you can see from the filename that the newer OVA file is already patched, meaning you won't need this patch if you downloaded the appliance after November 29, 2016

NAKIVO's documentation/screenshot had the incorrect target folder for the update file. You can see me discover then resolve this minor issue at this spot in my new video below. The fix was easy, just use something like free WinSCP in binary mode to move the .sh file into:/opt/nakivo/updates
instead of into the root. I show this properly in the first screenshot below, where I then go on to show the local console of the appliance, as I kick off the update process. Admittedly, I would hope future versions would let you do such patching right from within the Web UI.

I've also now created an informal lab-testing video that some folks might find helpful, as I walk through the straight-forward NAKIVO appliance install process, along with the use of WinSCP to push a single patch file up to your NAKIVO appliance to kick off the upgrade. I then perform an (unsupported) backup of VCSA 6.5, then I head over to the VAMI UI over port 5480 to test out VMware's native ability to back up VCSA, as pictured by Brian Graf vSphere 6.5 – VCSA Backup, which can be automated. Admittedly, I have not yet had a chance to test out a restore from either backup method, a critical piece of any backup strategy.

TinkerTry visitor T Technik has left a detailed summary of his experience with NAKIVO below, here's an excerpt:

Thanks for making me aware of Nakivo Backup & Replication. I am tinkering with two small ESXi servers in my homelab for getting knowledge about virtualization and having all the nice features to run serveral tasks like phone, router/firewall and nas.

I was looking for a good backup strategy/solution and was stumbling over this post. I immediately gave it a shot and I am very happy so far with Nakivo.

Full Disclosure: "TinkerTry.com, LLC" is registered as a NAKIVO Bronze Partner, mostly to help get notified of latest news and code releases. I get no special early-access, anybody can sign up for the betas. All TinkerTry site advertising goes through middle-man BuySellAds. NAKIVO does know if you found their affiliate link from my site, which means the possibility of reseller commissions if you eventually upgrade to one of their paid offerings. Here's their pricing.

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